Circle Tower
The circle Tower is a very easy domino trick to pull off, but, as with all domino tricks, it requires a steady hand, some free time, and nerves of steel. It can be applied with most domino forms, including fully formed dominoes, inverted domino rally dominoes, and jenga blocks, although, as with all domino structures, the type of dominoes used will affect the end result. The Circle Tower operates on the basic principle that dominoes can be stacked like bricks, in a paper thin width, but only in a circular form where the wall is connected to itself. Once you get the knack, you'll find this sort of domino building quite addictive. Domino structures are intriguing because they appear solid but almost melt when disturbed. For full effect, you can put up a row of dominoes leading up to the tower, or some extra dominoes on top, or place some action figures at the bottom to be crushed by the deluge of dominoes that will topple upon them. Happy stacking! Step one: Place dominoes on the floor, on their sides, in an octagonal pattern, like this. There need not be eight dominoes, you can place dominoes in an equally angled polygonal figure with four to ten dominoes, but at eight dominoes the shape begins to resemble a circle and the more dominoes you have, the more stable the structure will be. Also, you'll be able to build a lot higher. A tower with only four dominoes per level will topple quickly. I highly suggest at least eight, but you can go with seven or ten. Make sure that they're evenly placed and one domino can be put between each interval,on top. ..................................................................... Step two: Make more layers. As shown in the diagram, place one domino between the dominoes below it, on top. Note that the diagram is shown as a wall. A domino wall CANNOT be constructed like this! This picture is intended to represent one section of the tower's wall. Maintain a circular shape throughout. Imagine bending a domino wall into a cylinder. Make sure that each level has eight dominoes, alternating places with each level. As long as the dominoes on top look roughly octagonal by the end, you'll be OK. .................................................................... Step three: Complete the tower. Set a limit on how many layers your tower will have and stick to that limit. Don't overdo, or your tower will topple before you're ready. A tower with eight dominoes at the bottom can withstand about 20 layers, maybe more. Again, you can increase the number of layers by having more dominoes per level. Once you're all set, and the tower looks level, you can jump on it, tap it, throw a domino at it, whatever, and then watch the dizzying delight that ensues. You'll find it pretty resilient when building compared to something like a spiral. You can connect it with a full-fledged domino rally by putting a row of dominoes leading up toward it, and making sure that the tower will fall onto more dominoes and continue the pattern. Or, if you have an old Domino Rally set lying around, I suggest using the cardboard glider plane to knock one of these over for a grand finale- the rubber band gives it a lot of potential energy. A tower falling creates a truly stunning sight. For some atmosphere, you can make it lean a bit, like The Leaning Tower of Pisa, it'll have a remarkable resemblance. Domino towers are a very fun challenge.